Pros and Cons of Being a Writer

As all of you know, there are many types of writers in the world. There are writers, like me, who use their crazed imaginations to create fictional worlds with fictional characters in hopes of entertaining you, while communicating our innermost thoughts on different subjects in extremely subtle ways. But mostly it’s to entertain you.

And then there are the serious writers (not that we aren’t serious about what we do, they just write about serious topics. Not that we can’t write about serious topics, they just…well, I think you get where I’m going…maybe…) I’m talking about journalists–for the most part–which leads me to the point I wanted to make at the beginning of this post: what is currently happening in the Middle East and Africa.

I try to keep this blog lighthearted, if only because I think there is a lot of darkness and depressing stuff happening in the world already, and I–as a writer–really don’t want to add to that. It is my personal hope that my writing will entertain (and potentially briefly distract) from the crap that is happening in the world/your life for a tiny moment in time.

However, I just want to say that if you do not know what is happening currently in the world, I highly urge you to watch CNN or another network that provides world news coverage; read a newspaper, get yourself informed. Ignorance is nearly as bad as hate, and who knows, maybe the person with the best solutions doesn’t even know about the problem yet. Maybe that’s you.

The pros and cons of being a writer. (P.S. there will be a YouTube video on this coming out in the near future). Yeah, no, that was a lie. Sorry, my bad! So… YouTube:not my thing.

Pro: My office is my laptop, so I can work wherever I want.

Con: Someone (a.k.a. a publishing company) actually has to want your novel before you can get paid. Oh… So I’m going to be poor forever? Great…

Pro: Technically, no one can ever tell me I’m doing my job wrong. It’s all made up in my head anyway.

Con: Agents can basically tell you you’re doing your job wrong. A.K.A. “This book is crap. Do it again.”

Pro: People just assume writers are eccentric, so pushing the crazy-boundary isn’t too difficult to do.

Con: Unfortunately, in general, no one takes writers seriously. For the most part, writing is a “past-time”, not a career. Although, thankfully, there have been many authors recently who have shown the world that this is not necessarily the case. But, of course, then people just assume it’s a fluke. So in the end, we’re back to no one taking writers seriously.

Pro: Writing is one of the few careers in which the people truly love what they do. Because it takes such dedication, those who don’t really love writing won’t do it. Thus, those who do write LOVE to write.

Con: I’m just going to say it. Grammar is hard. (Well, depending on what you want to write. But in a large draft, you may find more misuses of the words “there, their, and they’re” than you’d like to admit. Especially if you’re trying to finish a scene at two o’clock in the morning. It never ends well).

Pro: In my world, unicorns exist. So non-believers can suck it.

Con: The non-believers think I’m crazy, so…

Con: I’ll probably get carpal tunnel when I’m older due to an enormous amount of typing. It’s just one of those things… Or maybe not. Who knows with something like this. Anyway, I’m just saying it’s likely.

Con: Due to the nature of my work, my diet tends to be…not great. I eat whatever is most convenient while I’m trying to work, and that tends to be junk food. Plus my ‘thinking candy’ is Wonka Sprees (chewy or original, I’m not picky), and that’s just sugar coated in flavored sugar. Wonderful.

Pro: I can attempt to work off all of those gained calories on my treadmill in the privacy of my own basement. Where no one can see how embarrassingly out of shape I am. No, really, it’s humiliating.

Con: I don’t get out of my house often enough. I really should see my friends more. Or just other humans in general. No offense to my dog.

And, to end on a good note (and to leave some points for the YouTube video–though that one will center, for a large part, around being an English major specifically–) Oh, look, more lies. I’m an awful human being. My apologies. Good thought, bad execution.

Pro: As a writer, there is an awesome network of loner-individuals just like myself who can relate to and share in the struggles of being a writer. Writing groups and circles, critique partners, fellow victims of writer’s block–they are everywhere, and for the most part, are always willing to share information, advice, and stories. It’s a great community to be in. And one that is never short of (don’t mind the pun) characters 🙂

That’s so cool 🙂 Definitely don’t give up. If you love to write, the challenges will only help your writing in the long run. From my experience, think about your writing first–the publishing will come later. Just write the best characters that you can and the rest will all follow suit!

I’m a 12 year old song/book writer! I was just thinking if I could make being an author my career. I have been writing short stories since I was 5, and books since 10. The only problem I have is my penmanship and lack of spelling ability. Though my grammar is fairly good.

Hello 🙂 I think it’s amazing that you started writing so young! And about your penmanship and spelling, that is stuff that comes with a lot of practice. To tell you the truth, my spelling is still horrendous; embarrassing, but true. It’s something I am still working on. Just keep writing – the more you work at it, the better everything will come together; it’s all about practice and experience.

I wish you the best of luck in all your facets of writing. (Songs – that’s so cool! I am definitely not lyrically inclined, so I am super jealous.)

Hi Eric!
I love hearing from young writers 😊. I’m so excited that you love to write – the world definitely needs more writers! As far as advice goes, I think from my own experiences I can tell you how important it is to just keep writing. There are a lot of things that can distract you from writing: watching tv, hanging out with friends, etc. Something really good you could do is set aside 20 minutes everyday to write. This is a really good habit to get into because it keeps your brain in a sort of “writer’s flow.” It will also strengthen your writing as a whole because you are getting so much practice.
There are also websites and communities that you can be a part of (with your parents’ permission!) where you can share your work, read work from other people who are also aspiring authors. The one that comes to mind first is Figment.com, but unfortunately I think it is 13 years old and up. I’m currently sending out feelers within my own writer circles to see if anyone knows good, trustworthy websites for people younger than that so I will add another reply when I find out!
However, something that you can do now (also with parental permission) is participate in the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, which stands for National November Writing Month. It’s a website that you can register at for free and they will pair you with people close to your age. This is actually a separate part of an even larger site, but it is exclusively for young writers so you can talk to people who are in a similar place with their own writing. Then, after you turn 18 (yeah, I think that’s right) you can join the adult writers side of things. I thought it was really fun and useful when I was your age. It’s always awesome to communicate with fellow writers who are having some of the same experiences, frustrations, etc. as you and it is a great way to learn new techniques from really interesting people.
Then, during the month of November, you try to write a book! If books aren’t really your style and you prefer another form of writing like poetry or short stories you can simply set a word goal for yourself and try to reach it. It’s great practice for self-discipline and it really helps strengthen your writing. It’s also fun to look back at how your writing has changed over the years.
I hope this helps you a little bit. If you have any more questions about writing or being a young writer, feel free to send them my way. Like I said, I love hearing from my fellow writers and I really admire you for seeking out ways to better your craft at a young age. I wish I would have done more of that when I was younger, so I think you are definitely on the right path!
Tootles for now🤗

I have been writing since I was 12 and hope I can one day make a career out of it. I am now 16 and haven’t given up, just have even more ideas for stories and it’s coming along great (or at least I think so). Your tips and different advice in general has been super encouraging. Even my parents tell me that writing doesn’t make that big of a career and I should be a doctor but I won’t give up yet. Thanks for everything!

I am so sorry it has taken me this long to reply. I love to hear from young writers, especially those who plan to continue writing in their future (and maybe even make a career out of it). It makes me so happy!

I am planning on writing a post specifically for young writers (that will hopefully be published sometime in the next few days) so keep your eyes peeled for that. If you have any questions after that, feel free to send me another message. I will respond much quicker, I promise!